Growers call for separate minimum wage for farm workers

Premier Kathleen Wynne’s January announcement that Ontario’s minimum wage would rise from $10.25 to $11 on June 1, and thereafter be fixed to inflation, has some farming groups worried about added expenses.

Representatives from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers and Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association appeared before the provincial finance committee to voice their concerns over the Fair Minimum Wage Act.

MPPs heard that a higher minimum wage would lead to fewer jobs for youth and seasonal workers. The profitability of Ontario farmers, who compete against jurisdictions with cheaper labour, would also take a hit.

The growers suggested that there be a separate minimum wage for farm workers, an idea Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett said merits further study.

“The horticulture sector is still struggling to absorb the last minimum wage increase to $10.25 an hour,” Barrett, who took part in the weeklong finance committee hearings, said in the Legislature.

“These organizations seem to have consensus,” he continued.

“They do lean towards linking the minimum wage to consumer price index, if we take into consideration the general health of business at that time, but they certainly did not want to see this $11 increase.”

Barrett gave the agriculture associations credit for coming to the table with an alternative proposal to address their concerns over rising wages.

“Competition for the food industry is global,” he said. “We need to level the playing field to support locally grown food.”